Which statement describes DES?

Which statement describes DES?

• A. Advanced Encryption Standard
• B. Data Encryption Standard
• C. Triple DES
• D. Rivest Shamir Adleman

Answer: (B)

DES is the Data Encryption Standard, a symmetric-key encryption algorithm. It encrypts data using the same secret key for both encryption and decryption and operates on 64‑bit blocks with a 56‑bit key through a 16-round Feistel structure. It was adopted as a federal standard in the 1970s, which is why you see it described as the classic DES. Over time, the relatively short key length made it vulnerable to brute-force attacks, so it has largely been replaced by more modern approaches such as AES, with Triple DES serving as a transitional enhancement by applying DES three times for greater security. The other terms refer to different algorithms: Advanced Encryption Standard is a newer standard; Triple DES is DES used three times to improve security; Rivest Shamir Adleman is RSA, an asymmetric public-key algorithm.

DES is the Data Encryption Standard, a symmetric-key encryption algorithm. It encrypts data using the same secret key for both encryption and decryption and operates on 64‑bit blocks with a 56‑bit key through a 16-round Feistel structure. It was adopted as a federal standard in the 1970s, which is why you see it described as the classic DES. Over time, the relatively short key length made it vulnerable to brute-force attacks, so it has largely been replaced by more modern approaches such as AES, with Triple DES serving as a transitional enhancement by applying DES three times for greater security. The other terms refer to different algorithms: Advanced Encryption Standard is a newer standard; Triple DES is DES used three times to improve security; Rivest Shamir Adleman is RSA, an asymmetric public-key algorithm.